Needle and thread case.



Patented Oct. 6, A1908.

0. B. TOWER. NEEDLE AND THREAD CASE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 13, 190B y x( @vtue/aow N THE NORRIS PETERS COA, WASHINGYON. D. CA

l CLARA `EfrowEE, or NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK.

f NEEDLE AND THREAD CASE.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 6, 1908.

Application led April 13, 1908. Serial N o, 426,903.

i l To all whom 'it concern.'

Be it known that I, VCLARA B. TOWER, Aa citizen of the United States, residing at New Rochelle, in the county of ,Westchesteiy .State of New York, :have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Needle and Thread Cases, of which the followingis la description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part hereof.

y lnvention relates to needle and thread cases, and the object thereof is to provide a needle and threadcase which is compact so that it may be conveniently carried in the pocket, and which will as assembled andput up for-use contain a series of needles each` threaded Vand each .adapted for use with any desired -length of vthread'.

A further object of my invention isto ro vide a device coming within the terms o the above statement and having more than one series of needles, each series being arranged for use with a particular kind of thread, so that the case as a whole may serve as a suply of needles threaded with thread of dif-` erent kinds or colors.

With these objects in view, my invention consists inthe needle and thread case illustrated in the accompanying drawing, described in` the following specification, and particularlyv ointed out or specified in the concluding c aim.

Referring to the drawing: Fig-ure 1 is a perspective view of my device folded or closed u to be put in the ocket. Fig. 2 isa .sectionaI view taken ont e line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of my device in open condition so that a needle and thread may be selected for use.

The body ortion or external case of my device is ma e from relatively sti material such as paste-board or indurated fiber, .and comprises portions 1, 2 to which the sulpporting members for the thread and need es are secured, together with connecting 'portions 3, 4 and a fla portion 5 g the said body portion or externalJ case being referably madefrom a single piece` of suitabll material and adapted to fold along the lines 6, 6', so'that the case may be folded. up as will be understood from the drawing. i

7, 7 are supporting members secured to the portions 1, 2 of the external case,` two such su porting members being employed in the em odiment of my device illustrated in the drawing in order to increase the capacity of my case. It will be understood, however,

i .that but a single su porting member may be used if it is desire( to make a case of more limited capacity. The supportlng members V7, 7 are made from thin sheet metal and are secured to the portions 1, 2 of the outer case in any suitable way, as by means of rivets or by means of a suitable adhesive. These members are slitted ad j acent their ends as at 8, and the portions thusfreed from the body portion of the supportin members 7, 7 are bent upward at right ang es to the said members vto form supports 9 for spools of thread or bobbins 10 which contain a supply of thread. These bobbins 'have projections 11 at their ends which are sup orted in bearings in the upwardly exten ing supports 9,

as will be understood.

12., 12are pieces of cloth, felt or other vfabric secured to the supporting members 7,

7 1n any way as by means of a suitable adhesive, which pieces of cloth are desi ned to receive and retain a series of need es, the needles being thrust into and through the fabrics as shown.

13 are a series of thread guides carried by the sup orting members 7, 7 and arranged in line ongitudinally thereof; and they are preferably formed from the sheet of thin metal of which said supports .are made by a suitable punching process wherein a narrow portion of the metal is cut free from the surrounding body and forced outwardly beyond the general surface of the su porting member. 14 ,are needles carried y the piece of fabric 12,' and arranged thereon sol that the eyes ofthe several needles will be in line with the thread guides 13, the needles beino placed in the fabric in such a position that there will be a needle between each two adjacent thread guides.

I preferably arrange the needles 14 in two series u on each of the supporting members 7 and fabric 12, alternating needles constituting each series and the needles of the two series having their points extending oppositely; and the free'ends 15 of the thread upon the spools or bobbins 10 is threaded through the thread guides 13, and through the eyes of the needles 14 which are in line with the particular guides in question, all as will be understood from the drawing.

,With my needle and thread case thus assembled and arranged it is evident that by grasping the needle of any series which is most remote from the bobbin having thread of the kind desired, care being taken to grasp the needle at the eye end so that the thread will not pull from the eye of the needle selected, and withdrawing said needle from the fabric 12, the thread will be pulled through the guides 13, and through the eye in line therewith of each of the other needles of the series. When a suitable length of thread has been pulled from the bobbin 10 and through the guides and eyes of the needles as above described, the thread is broken close to the second needle of the series, care being taken however not to break the thread so close to the second needle as to endanger its becoming unthreaded, thus leaving the second needle and all the other needles of the series threaded for future use. Thus in succession each of the needles of a series may be removed threaded for use, and each will be in threaded condition until it is desired to use it.

The needles may be thrown away as used, or may be stuck back into the fabric to be threaded at the leisure of the owner of the case.

A new supply of thread may be readily supplied by bending the supports 9 outward to release an empty spool o1' bobbin and permit the same to be replaced by a new spool.

When two supporting members 7, 7, are used as shown in the drawing, one will be shorter than the other, so that the spools will pass one another and the case fold compactly, as will be understood from Fig. 2; and when more than one bobbin or spool and more than one series of needles is used the several spools will preferably be supplied each with a distinctive kind of thread as regards color, quality, or size.

Having thus described my invention and explained the mode of operation thereof, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the class described, a supporting member; a series of thread guides carried by said supporting member and arn ranged in line; a series of needles carried by said supporting member, the needles of said series being arranged in alternation with said thread guides and with their eyes in line therewith; and a spool of thread carried by said support, the free end of the thread thereof passing through said thread guides and through the eyes of said needles.

2. In a device of the class described, a series of thread guides arranged in line g a series of needles, the needles of said series being arranged in alternation with said thread guides and with their eyes in line therewith; and a spool of thread, the free end of the thread thereof passing through said thread guides and through the eyes of said needles.

3. In a device of the class described, a supporting member comprising a sheet of thm metal; a series of thread guides formed from the material of said supporting member and arranged in line; a piece of fabric carried by said supporting member 3 a series of needles carried by said. fabric, the needles of said series being arranged in alternation with said thread guides and with their eyes in line therewith; spool supports adjacent the end of said supporting member and formed from the material of the sheet of metal whereof said supporting member is formed; and a spool of thread carried by said spool supports, the free end of the thread thereof passing through said thread guides and through the eyes of said needles.

Li. ln a device of the class described, a supporting member 5 a plurality of series of thread guides carried by said supporting member, the guides of eaeh series being arranged in line a plurality of series of needles carried by said supporting member, the needles of each series being arranged in altern ation with a cooperating series of thread guides and with their eyes in line therewith; and a plurality of spools of thread carried by said support, the free end of the thread of each of said spools passing through one of said series of thread guides and through the eyes of the series of needles arranged. in line therewith.

5. In a device of the class described, an external case adapted to fold; a supporting member carried by said case; a series of thread guides carried by said supporting member and arranged in line; a series of needles carried by said supporting member, the needles of said series being arranged in. alternation with said thread guides and with their eyes in line therewith and. a spool of thread carried by said support, the free end of the thread thereof passing through said thread guides and through the eyes of said. needles.

This specification signed and witnessed this 10th day of April A. D. 1908.

CLARA B. TOWER. ln the presence of- CIrAs. B. HULL, Jr., G. luviNo ELDER. 

